Trade
by bananapancakes123
Summary: Can Edward let Bella trade her life for the sake of saving Charlie? And in what sense...


**e&b. 1st twilight FF.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. **

**Read and Review. Thanks!**

"Don't you dare, Edward Cullen!"

A wicked gleam entered his amber eyes, and my stomach flipped. The look in his eyes couldn't bode well for my sake, and I backed up a few steps, preparing to run, knowing it was useless.

"Don't you dare _what_, Isabella Cullen?" Edward's eyes flew open in shock, embarrassment flooding the liquid depths, and he stopped inching slowly closer to me, hands preparing to make a tickling grab for me dropping to his sides. "I-I apologize Bella. It merely slipped out."

Shock coated my expression, and I quickly realized the face I was making wasn't going to reassure him of anything. I closed my face of all emotion and smiled hesitantly at him, reaching an arm out to grab his granite shoulder and attempt to pull him towards me.

"I know Edward, I know. I-I promise. You just have to wait for me." I looked away, blush creeping into my cheeks, eyes stinging.

He lifted my chin, eyes piercing my own, hands cradling my face and said sternly, "I'm here. I'll wait, forever, till your old and gray, I'll wait." He pulled me to him, cradling my body to his cold, granite one of steel, his heavy sigh shaking us both.

I pulled away sharply, disbelief coloring my tone. "What? What did you just say, Edward?" I couldn't have heard right. _Old and Gray .**Old and Gray.**_ I disentangled myself remarkably from his iron grasp and stumbled away. "Edward?"

He looked at me quickly, and looked away, gazing unseeingly off towards the setting sun, the sky a magnificent light show of reds and oranges, blinding me as I tried to peer at him through shaded eyes. He sank fluidly to the ground, legs crossing beneath him and patted the ground next to him, indicating I should sit. I refused, standing resolutely where I was, my anger pricking at the back of my head, reminding me over and over of what he had just said.

"Bella. Please" His eyes pleaded with me to understand, but I stood strong and held my ground, not succumbing to the intensity of his beautiful eyes. "The thought of-of ending something that was..._is_…destined to become so beautiful, talented, loving…I know we've been through this many times, too many, I know you've put it to vote, I _know_ you think this is what you want Bella, but it's not! It's _not! _Cant you s_ee_?" He had stood up by now, desperate and pleading with me, coming closer to grip my elbows strongly in his grasp, his eyes blazing down into my own.

Tears poured down my cheeks, anger and disbelief coating my eyes. I shook my head, still unable to believe that he was honestly _never_ going to change me, despite what he promised, despite what our lives promised to be together. He was never going to change me in the first place. _Never. _"Oh!" I shrieked, shoving him roughly away from me, the anger building and building inside me, threatening to spill out and create a situation that I didn't want to deal with at the present time. "Oh! Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, I-I. You've lied to me all along. Everything you promised was a lie! How-How coul-!" Tears dissolved my voice and I turned away furiously, not wanting him to see my weakness, my _fury._

I felt him come closer and felt his soft hand on my shoulder. Shrugging him off, I turned and walked slowly towards the Cullen's house, sun shrinking rapidly behind me, casting shadows in my footsteps.

It was a weird night outside, the normally cool, crisp air, heavy with humidity causing my hair to stick to my sweaty neck, but my skin was chilled and damp. I climbed the stairs to the front door and reached my hand for the huge bronze handle when the door suddenly whipped open and Alice flew out.

She froze in place, staring at me desperately. "Bella!" Her eyes were slightly desperate and frightened, and she grabbed my arms and pulled me into a rough hug. "Oh Bella."

Suddenly she seemed to remember why she had so hurriedly rushed at me and released me, desperately peering into the darkening yard for Edward. "Edward Cullen, where the hell did you go?" She hissed into the blackness.

No response came back.

"Oh! Of all the goddamn times for that guy to run off. Bella," She turned to me, fear clearly etched into her marble brow, grabbing my shoulders and staring deeply into my eyes.

"Bella, you have to promise me that you will listen to me and the family right now, obey anything and everything that we order you to do. Do you understand me?"

Her voice was harsh with her intensity, and my shoulders quaked in fear. "Alice what-."

"Do you agree with me, Bella?"

So intensely was she gazing at me, so clipped and point blank were her words that I had no choice but to agree. I nodded my head slowly, and she sighed heavily in relief, pulling me once again into a hug. "Plug your ears."

I looked at her questioningly, but before I got the chance to ask, Alice opened her mouth and let forth sound a loud snarl that I almost fell to the ground in shock, shaking in surprise and fear.

Sounding quite satisfied with herself, she dragged me to my feet, and roughly yanked me into the foyer of their house, steadying me as I stumbled on the carpet in the hall. 6 pairs of eternal eyes started at me as I steadied myself, and I looked at each one of them carefully, judging by their expressions that I was in some deep trouble.

Carlisle stepped forwards calmly and grasped my chilled hands in his own, lightly squeezing them, and guiding me towards the plush couch in the living room.

I couldn't understand why the entire group of people was acting like someone had just literally snuffed it, and sat up straighter in my chair to ask them just what was so awful that Alice had to scare the living daylights out of me for. I opened my mouth to do just that but Carlisle shook his head, smiling sadly at me and motioned for the rest of the family to sit.

"It has home to my attention by Alice that we, very soon…" He stopped speaking, glancing at me quickly, and looking away, clasping his hands together and tightening them noticeably. "We will very soon experience a death."

I jerked up straight in my seat, scanning the group of people around me, terrified and confused. None of them could die! It would be impossible…wouldn't it?

Carlisle glanced at me again before continuing. "A death can usually be prevented by us, especially when it is one that pertains to someone close to another, but as from Alice's vision, I find it impossible to even consider choosing this one person over another. I believe the rest of the family," He said sternly, eyeing Rosalie, "..will all agree fully, that we have no choice, but as to let this death happen, no matter how hard we wish we could prevent it."

I was so confused. Who, if not one of these family members, would be dying? A thought jolted through my mind. Me…Very _very_ likely the person, who would be dying, would be me! I've had enough dangerous encounters while being in contact with this family that I knew that every moment I spent with them, could very likely be my last. But what had Carlisle said? This death would be unpreventable? Edward would never let me die without some sort of desperate intervention…_Edward._

In light of all this news, I had forgotten about the one family member who seemed to have run off after our heated discussion. Waves of sadness coursed through me and I desperately wished I had never brought the entire "immorality" discussion up with him again. Once again, I seemed to have put up an invisible bar between Edward and me, one we were almost always never able to cross.

Carlisle cleared his throat and I jerked out of my thoughts. He seemed to realize that I had been close to slipping away from the entire conversation, and I blushed. "Sorry. So, if it isn't one of this family who's going to be dying, who is it?" Curiosity burned in my words, and he looked at me pityingly, kneeling down in front of me.

"Bella…I'm so sor—"

"Carlisle, NO!"

I looked up, shocked, to see Edward storming into the room, eyes glistening with fury and anxiousness. I was surprised and a little angry. Where had he been this whole time, and why had he just come back now, right when Carlisle had been about to tell me who was going to be leaving us.

Carlisle stood up, facing Edward resolutely and crossing his arms across his chest said, "Edward, you know I must. This pertains to her drastically, and if we just held it from her who kno---"

"I said _no, _Carlisle. You _know_ what she'll choose. You know she'd do _anything_ to protect him. I will not allow it. I can't lose her, Carlisle." Edward's voice was laced with desperateness, and his eyes pleaded with Carlisle to understand where he was coming from.

Carlisle shook his head. "Edward, I cannot keep this from her. You and I both know it would exceed being wrong by far. It is in my professi—"

"To hell with your profession right now, Carlisle! This is Bella we're talking about, _my_ Bella," My heart glowed at these words, "And I've already come close to losing her before, and I'm definitely not making it an option for her to be lost to me forever. Having to choose between father and daughter, I with all my heart choose, Bella, even though Chief---" He stopped, realizing his mistake.

My heart stopped.

"Chief Swan? _Charlie_ is going to die?" I closed my eyes, disbelief clouding my mind.

"Bella…" Edward came to me, kneeling by my knees, grasping my hands in his stone ones. "Bella we can't stop it, Victoria—"

"_Victoria?!_ Victoria is going to kill my father? Edward! You have to stop her! Please edw--!"

"Bella, If I could do anything you know I would in a heartbeat, but it's impossible. It's set in stone."

Alice spoke up. "Actually, Edward, it's not. You know my visions, how off they can be. Bella is our first one to prove that, you know. And Edward…" She trailed off, her eyes turning quite frightened by the murderous look on his face.

"No way in hell, Alice."

"Edward, you know it's what she—"

"_NO! _That is not an option, Alice Cullen and I will not consider it for a moment more."

I looked at Alice, she looked at me. "Tell me, Alice."

She glanced at Edward, and before he could protest she rushed, "The only other option, to save Charlie, is that…is that you die, Bella." She looked away, but to my surprise, her expression was not at all one of sadness anymore, but to my shock, a slight smile was playing across her features.

"I see…dying. But in which sense do you mean, Alice, you know I don't fear the real death. Death as in _death,_ or death as in…you."

She whipped her head to look at me, and with Edward glaring at me, she was out of his line of sight. She nodded quickly at me, the little smile still lingering on her lips. I knew immediately. In order to save my father, I needed to become a vampire. What I've desired becoming for months. Finally, a vampire…

I looked at Edward, my expression serious, jaw set, eyes hard, and spoke tersely. "Take me, Edward. Save my father."

I was ready for death.


End file.
